Another option for those skeptical about in-home deliveries.

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Amazon added a new delivery location to the ever-growing number of spots it can leave your packages: inside your car. The company announced an expansion of its Amazon Key in-home delivery service that now lets Prime members get packages deposited in their cars at no extra cost. The service is available today in 37 cities across the country for Prime members with eligible vehicles and active subscriptions to connected car services.

Further Reading

The in-car delivery service only requires the Amazon Key app and a car of recent vintage. Before placing an order on Amazon, Prime members can choose the "in-car" delivery option at checkout. On the day of delivery, customers can check if their car is parked in-range of the delivery location in the Amazon Key app.

Before couriers gain access to the customer's car, Amazon uses an "encrypted authentication process" to make sure the right courier is present in the right location with the right package. After authorization, the car is unlocked so the courier can deliver the package inside. As with most Amazon delivery services, customers receive alerts when a package is about to be delivered and after the package has been left in their car.

Remote unlock

No special, one-time access codes are required for in-car delivery, as the car is remotely unlocked at the time of delivery and then immediately locked afterward. Amazon does this through the user's connected-car service that's paired with the Amazon Key app. Currently, compatible 2015 or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles with active OnStar accounts can receive in-car deliveries, as can 2015 or newer Volvo vehicles with active Volvo On Call accounts.

Services like OnStar and On Call have had the power to remotely unlock cars for years, which comes in handy when drivers panic after realizing they've locked themselves out of their vehicles. Now, a feature like that can be used to make a customer's day more convenient in addition to helping out when a situation turns dire. Those who spend a lot of time at work but aren't allowed to get personal mail in their office could use their cars as a secure delivery receptacle.

But anything associated with Amazon Key will raise eyebrows if the word "secure" is uttered. Launched at the end of the last year, Amazon Key began as an in-home delivery service that allows Amazon couriers to drop off packages inside your home using a special security camera and smart lock hardware. Many customers were skeptical about allowing a stranger into their home, and some will likely feel the same way about giving a stranger access to their vehicles.

However, users may be more open to trying in-car delivery than the alternative. Users may have more peace of mind knowing that OnStar, On Call, and other services can restrict unlocking to only one part of the car (like the trunk), limiting the access that a courier has. There's also precedent for such a service: in 2015, Audi teamed up with Amazon and DHL to offer in-car deliveries in Munich, Germany to a select number of Audi drivers. The success of that program likely encouraged Amazon to give a similar service a shot in the states.

Further Reading

In general, there appears to be less of a stigma around giving a delivery person access to your car as opposed to your home. That mental and societal distinction between home and car has given companies leeway to experiment with convenience programs that require remote access to vehicles. In 2016, Volvo announced a trial concierge service that allows Bay Area S90 and XC90 owners to get their cars refueled, serviced, or valeted through a smartphone app. Using a one-time access code, car owners can give authorized personnel access to their vehicles for a limited time so the customers can go about their day while someone else fills up the gas tank, gets the car serviced, and more.

Amazon is determined to give Prime customers as many perks as possible, and the company keeps trying new ways of securely dropping off packages. In-car delivery is just another way for Amazon to make its overall delivery system faster and more convenient. With more delivery options comes more customers willing to shop on Amazon, knowing that they can get their package quickly and securely no matter where they are.

When I read this title, I assumed that Amazon was asking you to let them borrow you car to make deliveries in (which would be a bit crazy). I think I'd be more likely to let them do this than to let them in my home. I don't really keep anything of value in my car and I own a 2016 Chevy that definitely supports OnStar unlock. If I have problems with Amazon deliveries I may give this a try.

I'd rather let someone access my vehicle than my house. My vehicle has nothing worth stealing in it, other than the vehicle itself. On the other hand, I wonder how many people realize that you can access the cabin of a vehicle through the trunk in many vehicles. There's usually a pull-rope or handle you can use to unlatch the seat-back and push the back seat forward, provided there's no obstruction like a centrally mounted car seat.

At what point are they going to realize that the best alternative to dropping packages on the porch is an actual safebox? Make it heavy enough to be immovable by one person and give it an app.

Edit: Why do so many people think this is a bad idea? You don't want Amazon in your house, you don't want them in your car, you don't want the package left out on your porch and you don't want to drive out to a locker location.

Not the worst idea ever but anyone know what percentage of cars have OnStar or Volvo's On Call my guess is not that many 20%? 30%?

Probably less than 20%, given their combined market share. GM's market share is around 17%, but Volvo is a minor player in the US. I couldn't tell you how many GM models have Onstar as a standard option, but I don't think they put it in all of their lower-end offerings.

I'm kinda shocked that someone will actually use this service and the other one that makes you let a complete stranger enter your house....

I still cant past the Alexa always spying on you thing... Especially because one has to pay for it in the 1st place. If i'm going to use something that is primarily used to buy stuff from Amazon i expect that thing to be offered... just my 2 cents on this.

Amazons push is what turns me off a little. Access to my biggest assets (my 401k next?) ... but the internet just isn’t secure enough .... who’s to say a survey of drivers won’t analyze what car I have or what my home looks like. Data data data. The click agreement most certainly will send me to arbitration if someone uses Amazon key for a theft ring.

Amazon has great services. I want them to destroy Ticketmaster. But no, keep your people and microphones out of my house. That’s where I draw the line.

Three things no stranger gets unfettered access to, in reverse order: my car, my house, my wife. There's literally no lengths these guys, Amazon et al, won't go to to shave every last hundredth of a penny off their delivery costs. Customer inconvenience and liability be damned, and re-phrased as 'for your convenience'.

Just fuck off, already. And no treading on my lawn, either.

(edit: I see dudeface above has the same thoughts re: his lawn. Good man!)

Not the worst idea ever but anyone know what percentage of cars have OnStar or Volvo's On Call my guess is not that many 20%? 30%?

Probably less than 20%, given their combined market share. GM's market share is around 17%, but Volvo is a minor player in the US. I couldn't tell you how many GM models have Onstar as a standard option, but I don't think they put it in all of their lower-end offerings.

But cant you opt out of that services and disable the devices? If not why on earth would anyone want that?

Not the worst idea ever but anyone know what percentage of cars have OnStar or Volvo's On Call my guess is not that many 20%? 30%?

Probably less than 20%, given their combined market share. GM's market share is around 17%, but Volvo is a minor player in the US. I couldn't tell you how many GM models have Onstar as a standard option, but I don't think they put it in all of their lower-end offerings.

But cant you opt out of that services and disable the devices? If not why on earth would anyone want that?

If I had a car with onstar I wouldn't use the optional services but I wouldn't deactivate it. At a minimum automatic airbag notification is useful. If the airbags deploy they attempt to contact you and if they can't dispatch EMS to your location. That could save your life in a severe accident where time is the most critical factor.

I mean I wouldn't buy a car for that but I wouldn't go out of my way to disable it either.

Not the worst idea ever but anyone know what percentage of cars have OnStar or Volvo's On Call my guess is not that many 20%? 30%?

Probably less than 20%, given their combined market share. GM's market share is around 17%, but Volvo is a minor player in the US. I couldn't tell you how many GM models have Onstar as a standard option, but I don't think they put it in all of their lower-end offerings.

But cant you opt out of that services and disable the devices? If not why on earth would anyone want that?

If I had a car with onstar I wouldn't use the optional services but I wouldn't deactivate it. At a minimum automatic airbag notification is useful. If the airbags deploy they attempt to contact you and if they can't dispatch EMS to your location. That could save your life in a severe accident where time is the most critical factor.

I mean I wouldn't buy a car for that but I wouldn't go out of my way to disable it either.

My wife's car is a '15 Chevy; it came with the free month of OnStar. We didn't renew.

Not sure how much it phones home, but updating the maps in the onboard nav is far more expensive than it's worth.

Not the worst idea ever but anyone know what percentage of cars have OnStar or Volvo's On Call my guess is not that many 20%? 30%?

Probably less than 20%, given their combined market share. GM's market share is around 17%, but Volvo is a minor player in the US. I couldn't tell you how many GM models have Onstar as a standard option, but I don't think they put it in all of their lower-end offerings.

But cant you opt out of that services and disable the devices? If not why on earth would anyone want that?

If I had a car with onstar I wouldn't use the optional services but I wouldn't deactivate it. At a minimum automatic airbag notification is useful. If the airbags deploy they attempt to contact you and if they can't dispatch EMS to your location. That could save your life in a severe accident where time is the most critical factor.

I mean I wouldn't buy a car for that but I wouldn't go out of my way to disable it either.

Jeez, when did Ars become such a cranky old crowd. This is a great tech innovation. It solves a very real problem for many people. I do wish there was a camera involved in this one just like the Amazon Key for any bad actors. I personally don't need it, as I know my USPS/FedEx/UPS delivery guys, its always the same ones, and they already have a code to access my house, that alerts my phone, and I watch them on camera. Plus after 5+ years of the same 3 delivery guys, at this point, I do flat out trust them. We're all on our first name basis, I've even invited them to parties, etc.

Sure, but your situation is kind of a rare one... I wish we all had that scenario.

But for the rest of us the delivery people is constantly changing, plus anyone can mug that person and gain access to your house... and i bet there are a lot more scenarios that can go wrong that i cant remember or imagine.

Now the burning question: how do I make all the cars around me identify as my car in Amazon's pairing app? I could use some loot!

Same way as you do it with the OnStar app. It'd also be far easier to get a device that receives the remote code, blocks it, then on the retransmit, blocks that and transmits the first one, you now have the next unlock code in the sequence when the person walks away. Or you could just get a coathanger and unlock the door that way if you like, thats the easiest way of all, by far.

I could go for this... I'm an instant gratification kind of human. I do already have a lock box on my door for Wag to come and retrieve my dogs for walks while I'm away. So having a delivery person drop a package off inside the house doesn't bother me. However, I have to admit that even if I can't play with whatever is being delivered I like the idea of having it sooner than getting home. ;-)

I'm thinking they should just spend the money on expanding their locker system. Yeah, lockers aren't as convenient but they also don't have the creepy factor.

There seems to be a subculture of adults who, perhaps habituated to fancy work perks, just have completely lost the tolerance for minor menial tasks. I mean, eat half your meals in a Googleplex, have the other half pre-recipe'd and pre-boxed by Blue Apron, pay somebody else to mow your lawn and shovel your sidewalks, subscribe to a laundry service...

Maybe at some point, a ten minute detour on your commute to the Amazonbox sounds like an insurmountable inconvenience. Heck, I've seen people here say that one big EV perk is that they don't have to go to the gas station anymore. Okay, that's better than having to go to the gas station, but really? That's a huge deal? I bet I spend five minutes a week at the gas station.

How do folks in this subculture tolerate going to get a haircut? What will happen when their five year old needs help with his math homework, or wants to hear a bedtime story?